Busy but Fun Spring Days

After mom went home, we had one last day to spend in Tokyo on May 9th. We started by driving to the Sumo arena, parking nearby, and buying tickets for the show. Since it was the first day, Mom missed out unfortunately, and tickets were mostly sold out. Once secured, we went to Ginza to grab that cool looking buffet we saw the night before with Mervin.

For $10 each, we had our own BBQ on the table, and a huge selection of meats to throw on it. Knowing prices in Japan, we easily got our monies worth, as each plate we brought back was easily worth over $10 each. It was really busy, but a good experience. I don’t think I’ve been in a buffet that big or that busy before, but the time limit is still a bit strange to me. It’s good that we eat fast and get the most out of it.

Mervin went home after, so Ann and I went to watch Sumo. If you read my post last time I went, it would be a lot like that; big dudes pushing and shoving. It was still exciting and entertaining, and here is a video of easily the fattest sumo there; you can hear Ann screaming, and the dude has his massive boobs punched ^_^

We had lots of fun, and Ann really got into it. As the matches got to higher levels, more advertisements scrolled out until finally the Yokozuna’s match, when a dozen McDonalds adds were paraded around the sacred circle. This was a rare time when there was only one Yokozuna, as the other one was forced into early retirement for getting drunk at a bar and punching some old guy that was yelling at him or something; imagine if they did that sort of thing with sports back home.

But anyways, after the show we paid for parking, which turned out to be over $40. That was a depressing change of events, but was very slightly consoled by driving through the heart of Tokyo while not taking the expensive “express” ways. The first hour or so was fun, and somehow we were making good progress. According to our little map, we were on a fairly main road, and our path home seemed straightforward.

Unfortunately, ‘accurate’ maps are quite rare to come by, and ours was grossly out of scale. This happens to be my biggest problem with subway maps too, as some stations can be kilometers away from each other, while some, like in Ginza, have atleast a dozen different stations in a 1.5 kilometer radius. Long story short, we got lost for hours in some town outside Tokyo, so much as driving in circles around the Interchange parking area but not being able to enter it before finally finding an entrance much later. We got home quite late.

Moving along with annoyances aside, it was an experience, with good and bad mixed together making it more authentic maybe. The week went along well I assume, though it was weeks ago and I hardly remember it now. I do know that I started teaching my Wednesday night class again to adults, and I have my 4^th one coming up this week to let you know how much time has passed…

What can I say; Ann leaves in 2 weeks, and having fun with her in that time is a much higher priority than writing these stories. We have been very busy, and enjoying every minute. I remember now, that it was Ann’s birthday on May 11^th. I had been trying to feel out a nice present for her, but she picked up on my soft questions easily, and seemed really reluctant to take much of anything; I was already giving her so much in this Japanese adventure for her. Fair enough. Instead, I got her some cake from a local bakery, cooked her a nice supper with fish, had champagne (her first time), and watched a movie together. It was a quiet birthday, but still memorable and sweet.

That weekend, May 15^th/16^th, we went on a road trip up north for an Adventure day not unlike what I experienced last year. Unfortunately, Ann’s knee is still giving her problems from that Skiing accident, so we didn’t do canyoning that first day. Instead, we had the (little advertised) kayaking alternative. Since nobody knew about it, it was practically a private excursion for us.

A New Zealand fellow with his Japanese wife and 5-year-old daughter would be our guides. They were exceptionally interesting and very kind. Our kayaking trip was out on a little lake for 2 hours. It was open top, so we didn’t need to take the ‘flip’ training; ie how to recover from being upside down without drowning, you could just swim out. They took many photos, all of which they posted for free on their website. If you have time, take a look, and try to absorb the beautiful surroundings we admired for hours.

It was a nice, leisurely paddle with good conversation. When we reached the end near a waterfall, we all sat down for a break to eat biscuits and tea. The guy told me his wife started this kayak/canoe company as a way to pass the time, but now it was making more money than his job; I think that’s ok, things worked out good for his family that way.

That night we all got together and had a BBQ, much like last years. I still hate charcoal. So while everyone was hungry and waiting an hour for the useless stuff to finally get warm, I went up and grabbed a hot dog from a superior gas like I did last year. I had to promise not to tell anyone else and start a riot (like last year) and I could only have one before they made the grill exclusive for another party.

I didn’t mind too much, as I suffered most of the weekend from heartburn, as my weight hit the tipping point of around 105 kg, when I can feel my high blood pressure and heartburn constantly. It was time to get serious about a diet, once the weekend was over of course. I didn’t have much to drink, and I didn’t grab too much from the grill, although Ann and Richard were good about making sure everyone got food, as opposed to the vultures feeding the most. Again, I hate the style where people sit around and pick off the grill before the chef thinks it’s done; maybe it’s just me.

In the morning it was time for some White Water Rafting. There was just a group of 5 of us, as most people had done it the day before, or were out paragliding today; something I was too heavy to do. I didn’t mind, I absolutely love white water rafting, and suggest it for everyone to try.

The water was cold, but our spirits were high. We ran the same course as last year and had an amazing time. We all jumped into the lake during a calm spot and splashed around for the camera they brought to film promotional materials. We hung off the side screaming to Ann to help us in comical fashions, and she responded by turning around, and jumping into the lake herself ^_^ The wetsuits really help to keep in body temperatures. The water was especially high from the spring melt.

We got into rivalries with other boats like last year, splashing each other as desired. There were groups of university students from Tokyo near the river, making sketches for their art class or something. We ran into a group of snobby girls eating ice cream that didn’t say hi back, and the boat behind us took liberty in splashing them with cold water. There was an older couple nearby watching, and I’ll never forget how happy that old guy looked to see that. He stood up and laughed loudly while pointing. I joined him and laughed uncontrollably for 5 minutes; that boat contained my heroes.

What am amazing ride, Ann loved it too. Our guide was really cool too, telling jokes and leading us on strange paths, like paddling hard straight into large rocks so we would get soaked, or pinning us under a frozen waterfall until I got a headache from the cold water. What an awesome experience.

The only downer, like last year, was the photo company. They updated their policy since last year’s loud and drunken revolt at the insultingly high prices. It was still bad, and in some ways worse, so we didn’t get any pictures at all. Please look at the (expensive) ones we bought from last year, and picture it a bit different if you need an idea.

We went for Ramen, and although I wasn’t 'hungry', it was no problem putting that large bowl of noodles away. This was when I really got serious though, as my main diet is simply ‘portion control’. Don’t eat when you’re not hungry basically, and stop when you are.

I think it wasn’t even 2 days later when we went for sushi. I know Ann was joking around by offering me cake, but my resolve was absolute. I was damn proud of myself when we left later, as I only ate 7 plates as opposed to my normal 12 or so. I was going to lose weight, and that was that. By the time Friday came, I had lost 3kg.

Those early pounds are always easy to lose though, and I’m glad the heartburn has stopped. Of course it’s still a struggle even now, but I know my stomach has shrunk a lot. During the week Ann wanted to join me, and started cooking more ‘diet’ food. She really is an amazing cook, and it’s always a delight to eat what she’s made.

The next Saturday, the 22^nd now, there was a large event in Ina near the Onsen. I had stayed there before in the cabins for a block party a couple years back, and this day we were having a “NagaYes” event (a play on words from Nagano). The various blocks host these events, and the last one was ours; perhaps you remember the last one I attended with the sushi eating contest, or the one with the bowling.

The event was a “triathlon” containing an obstacle course, mallet golf, and poker. I started our group off with a bang jumping over logs in the ground. There were various events, and our block had enough people that my participation wasn’t required more than once. Ann even had a shot running over some moving logs on a bridge. In the end though, another block had the best time, but we all had fun screwing around in the beautiful park, enjoying the sunny day.

We took a break for lunch, but I ‘wasn’t hungry’ by definition, and had to pass on the amazing hamburgers they were selling; I would be back for one at suppertime when I ‘was hungry’. We gathered in the afternoon and played mallet golf in random groups. I was in the only 3-person group, but it was ok since we struggled quite a bit.

Go figure that mallet golf is more dangerous than recklessly cruising through an obstacle course; I rolled my ankle on one of the earlier holes as the ground was little more than well-traversed paths through a jungle, and I was busy writing down scores while walking. I tied my shoelaces tighter though, and the pain went away in ½ hour or so. In 18 holes, I shot a 92 game, maybe 20 over par.

It was just good fun. Chris and Molly were in my group, and Chris was dressed like a raccoon. He bought the suit a while ago, as after many adventures, he figured this would be its last. Funnily enough, there were two cotton testicles attached to it, and earlier a little boy ripped one off; we had attracted a number of crowds during our obstacle course fiasco. Needless to say, countless road kill/poaching jokes were made at his expense.

Ann did well too, and had so much fun; she would really like to go again before returning home… perhaps we can do that tonight if there is time. It took about 2 hours for the 18 holes, and it wasn’t very busy. When older groups went through though, they went FAST. These older couples were pros, and we took pointers.

After the game, I grabbed that amazing burger, while Ann got some cooked sausage. How they served it though, was by suspending it on a metal coil, and giving you a pair of kitchen scissors to cut off pieces. Quite odd when you think about it, but it was delicious regardless.

I went home with Ann to pick up my video games and Onsen gear, and we returned to join the festivities. I wasn’t drinking in part because of the diet, and because we were going to wake up early the next day for a road trip. We had eaten already which was good, as they were using the ridiculous charcoal again to BBQ… to be fair you don’t have much of a choice in Japan, I still remember when I searched for hours in many stores for a gas grill.

I set up the games, got out some poker chips (fake money coins, since finding real chips is nearly impossible), and went to the Onsen to relax for over an hour. Crazy Ann however started drinking before getting into the hot water. We had found a delicious drink; Pineapple Chu-Hi (Japanese alcohol). Sure it can in a small can, but it was worth it.

She didn’t stop there though. Ike had a huge present for everyone at the party. A friend of his in his hometown owned a restaurant. Some beer ‘expired’ and it was illegal for him to sell. Long story short, he got over $200 of free beer, and after a month of trying to drink it himself, it was deemed impossible. Enter the block party. After that Chu-Hi, she had only one drink, that lovely “Orion” from Okinawa (I’m all about trying to have new and different experiences). After that, she had one of the big bottles from Ike; these things are maybe 3 beers each. She finished 2 of those, and a Coors, which she hated.

I could tell she was at her limit though, and cut her off, but not before everyone had a wonderful evening. I actually get tired of poker after one hour and didn’t play like a lot of people, but there were video games, card games, and many great people to talk to. For example, we made plans to stay at Ashley’s this weekend while doing an English camp like last year.

But I had to take Ann home before things went downhill. I made sure she drank water before passing out, and had a basin nearby in case she needed it; she didn't. She actually got the first hangover in her life, but took it like a pro.

We got up early and I made breakfast. Thanks to tests at school I had holidays on Monday and Tuesday, and despite the pouring rain outside, we started the 650 km drive to Hiroshima.

"Life is the sum of all your choices. " -Albert Camus

tnoy

The Rest of Mom’s Japanese Adventure

So now it was May 3^rd and we were in Nagoya, where we chuckled at the bike parking areas you needed to pay by the hour for. Almost a month ago from this late writing, but I only got back from Hiroshima late last night so sorry. Hopefully I can tell that story before too long; I’d hate to jump into a “cliff’s note’s” format.

We decided to ‘walk around’ and do nothing in particular; just head in the vague direction of Oasis 21, where the huge shopping and entertainment area in the downtown is. It was a good couple hours walk, as the girls talk as girls do, and we were frightened by large imposing election vans. If you didn’t know, it’s how they do elections in Japan; in the most annoying and noise polluting way possible.

These monster vans had huge loud speakers on top of them. This convoy had huge flags as they spouted the person’s name over and over, and I’m not sure what else; I’ve heard they say little more than “thanks for voting for me last time, vote for me again.” But I don’t know. I do know, that they were blaring some kind of crazy militaristic music, and flying the Japanese Naval flag; the one everyone mistakes for a “World War 2 Flag” with the sun and stripes around it.

Around 20 minutes later there was another convoy for a different political party (probably) playing the same frightening crap. It was so we were afraid to even look at their tinted-black windows’ direction, and it reminded us of videos you see of Nazi Germany. I have no idea who thinks this kind of stuff is a good idea. I heard later from my cousin that he saw the same thing in Shibuya, the busiest intersection in the world that you always see in the movies; it too reminded him of the world during darker days, but I digress.

The rest of the walk was really lovely, and we ran into a 70-something year old security guard that had ok English and was full of spunk. We also ran into the much talked about “Tokyu Hands”, which was full of 8 floors of craft items / cool stuff. We spent atleast another hour here seeing fun stuff.

Finally we made it to Oasis 21. Nearby there were some performers playing Jazz or something, but it was hard to hear over some other idiot politician blaring hate over his loud speakers. We instead went to the Oasis and ran smack into the middle of a huge children’s fair of some sort with live performances and games; Mom even made friends with some little kids that came up and talked to her.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by the number of times I’ve seen lines for McDonalds that stretch out the doors. A nearby ice-cream place had its line going around the corner. Maybe the only store I was interested in, the Jump shop, had a line going around half the floor space, and the nearby Pokemon store had queue ropes outside. Both crowds of people weren’t moving, and the human bodies easily took up more space than the entire stores they were patiently waiting to enter. We didn’t stay at Oasis 21 very long.

On the way back, we decided to try a buffet. This one was extraordinary in that not only did they give you a time limit of one hour, but each table sported their own deep fryer. We used the whole hour dipping various breaded meats and vegetables into it. When our time was up, we headed back to the hotel and called it a night, but not before walking through the station.

Once there, Ann was walking a little bit faster a head of us, and before you knew it, two police offers swooped in speaking only Japanese and not trying to make it easy. Ann didn’t understand a word of course, but it could have been a lot easier if they just said “Passport” as it’s almost identical in Japanese. Once they saw my mom and I, they didn’t care nearly as much to check if she was visiting legally or not, but this racial profiling thing is quite depressing to see in action. But, as mom said later: “they’re just doing their jobs.”

The next day was a grueling 6 hour drive over around 300 kilometers, including 4 lane sections that moved maybe 5 kilometers over 1 hour during the worst of it. The only redeeming part of it was being able to see Fuji. When it was visible, it was hard to look at anything else. Perhaps that’s why it’s famous; it’s so visible from so many different places. We got in late to Odaiba and checked in, but were too late to see the Cirque Du Soleil that started at 4.

What we were able to do though, was meet up with my cousin Ryan during his last day in Japan. I hadn’t seen him in 3 years, so it was a bit of a shock. We all went for food at a nearby mall, and walked around Odaiba. We finished the night off on a trip up the Ferris Wheel Ann and I rode the week earlier. I was impressed, and happy that mom took the trip with us despite her earlier fears.

We parted ways and called it a night. In the morning we went to Shibuya to meet up with mom’s other friends: Hiro, his wife, and his daughter. Together we took a train to Yokohama where we could watch a baseball game. This was my first big professional game to watch, and Ann’s first big professional sport game of any kind; I needed to explain the rules to Ann so she wouldn’t be too lost.

When we first arrived, we were initially worried that we wouldn’t get tickets with golden week causing stadiums to be sold out all over the country, and the long line we were met with. After some anxious line standing for a while, the other side was scouted and had no line at all. Apparently how they work it, is one ticket line for the home team, and one for the visitors. This just meant we would be cheering for the Hiroshima Carp and not the Yokohama Baystars. Oh well (?). The fan chants and songs were amazing regardless.

For $25 each, we had some amazing seats. It was really hot initially, but the sun got low enough half way through the game, and what a game it was. Almost every inning there was something exciting happening, and we saw almost everything you could want at a game, other than the team we were rooting for winning. It wasn’t a heartbreaker, as I had lots of beer, and hot dogs, and fried rice among other things. That’s not the only weird food item they were selling, and they also had things like KFC inside.

After the game, we went to the nearby China town. I warned mom and Ann before, China Town is one of the most expensive places you’ll stumble across unfortunately, despite its reputation telling you it should be affordable. We had an ok supper that was way overpriced and parted ways.

May 6^th, two days to go. Despite that, we didn’t spend much time in Tokyo; instead we went back to Yokohama and walked around for most of the day. Half of the walking was around the marvelous harbor area, and eating a dozen crispy cream donuts. This was our first real time having them, and they tasted just like tasty donuts to me; I don’t see what the huge fuss over them is.

Yokohama is a beautiful place as you can see from my other pictures and stories from times I’ve been there. Mom laughed when I used my compass, as apparently it’s a famous story she uses when she goes back home. It retrospect it is amusing, but I find it wildly helpful, as Japan’s backwards maps always have North pointing in whatever direction they want, and the roads are twisty enough to make you lose your way in 10 minutes. It was neat looking into the water this time, as it was oversaturated with jellyfish, and we even saw a huge rat swimming for shore.

Anyways with the lovely harbor behind us, we were in the huge China town again, thinking we could maybe find some affordable duck or something fun to eat. Alas, despite there being over 100 restaurants, everyone perused had around the same overly expensive front. Instead, Ann and Mom did their girl thing and look through some of the fun shops. Atleast many of those places didn’t insult you; I wonder where Chinese people go for a taste of home.

For our final full day in Japan, we went to Tokyo to bum around. To get there, we rode a sky train for a good while, and it was one beautiful ride. I took lots of pictures, and my descriptions could never do it justice. We went to Asakusa, a huge temple and flea market area, where the girls did the last of their shopping together. We saw another orange tree, pagoda, and other nice stuff I’m sure I wrote about before in her last trip.

After a couple hours, I was spent, and we stopped for a kebab at a Turkish restaurant nearby to rest the feet. It was raining on and off, so it wasn’t too bad to stick around the market district. We briefly tried to walk to different areas until we got wet, then took a train to Ginza where we would meet Mervin again, and have our last supper in Japan.

Mervin got us reservations for a vampire restaurant. The atmosphere naturally was amazing, complete with a coffin in the middle of the floor, a fully dress vampire waiter, and appropriately themed food and drinks. On the limited menu were wonderful things like cow cheek meat. While amazing, we were still hungry after, and went out later for a little something more.

It was getting late already, so we went back to the hotel. It was a busy, wonderful holiday, where I got sick once atleast, Ann got Ill, and on the last day mom completely lost her voice. We spent the morning walking around Odaiba, partially saying goodbye to the place, before packing and driving to the airport. We had breakfast in a fabulous mall, themed like ancient Rome.

At the airport, the goodbye wasn’t as hard as it has been in the past; we both knew it was a “see you later.” When I held Mom’s ticket to double check her gate, I briefly felt a tinge of jealousy; I really was ready to go back to Canada as well. She had told Ann over and over to come, so we’ll work on the paperwork for that as well. We watched her walk away, and reluctantly started to leave ourselves. Ann went to the bathroom to shed a quick tear while I sat down in silent reflection.

It was really wonderful for my Mom to come visit me yet again in Japan. I’ll be back in 2 months myself; I hope I have come closer to being the kind of man I aspire to be, and feel truly ready to leave this wonderful chapter of my life, and start a brand new one.

Ann and I went back to the now even quieter apartment room, had a simple supper, and to our surprise in the morning, there was Mom calling me on Skype. She had got home ok, and my brother John was already thanking me for his present. In fact, the time that she called in Canada, was the exact same time her plane left Japan.

It made me feel silly for being sad in the first place. We had a wonderful trip, and soon I’ll be back at home, eating her great cooking and having different crazy adventures before taking off on another big one.

"Adventure is not outside man; it is within." -David Grayson

tnoy

Three Girls and I in Kansai

Our first real day in Kyoto was rather pleasant. We started that day, as we did every day after that, by visiting the station’s competitively priced restaurants. One thing I do love about Japan, is many places don’t blatantly try to rip you off like they would in North America, even if they’re in a huge station or a rare festival.

We decided to see one of the bigger temples; Kyo Mizu. I had gone before, and Noriko sees it every fall for the changing colours, but it’s in a good area and beautiful. Ann got to see her first orange tree, and has asked me periodically when I will show her an apple tree in Japan (I’ll get to it soon enough).

A nice philosophy my mom has, is to just wander and find things that way. As we learnt on her last trip, you never know what wonders you’ll stumble upon when you stray from the beaten path. We soaked up the atmosphere of the temple, then later the district of Gion; (once?) famous for its teahouses and Geisha.

It was talked about in “Memoirs of a Geisha” and I even messaged Neal to double check, but seeing it in person was nothing like I expected. Of course, it’s ridiculous in the first place for me to think a very busy and expensive piece of Japan in a major city would be anything like it was over 60 years ago. Alas we saw no Geisha or Maiko ladies walking around, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying the area (and making short stops in some of the many little shops) and laughing at some decorations, like a life-sized statue of a boy having his shorts pulled down by a dog, leaving his sculpted unmentionables hanging.

Personally I don’t like long periods of walking, and I found it amusing when Neal summed me up earlier to Ann and mom: “After a while he’ll start complaining, and over time the complaining will get louder, but it’s not a show stopper” or something like that. True, I do carry around a lot more weight on me than I have this time last year, but I’m definitely on the road to correcting that.

That being said, I love the chance to stop walking and take a break for a while before I get too tired. Unfortunately usually the only practical break you can take is for a snack at one of the many different food stands you cross every 10 minutes or so. One time I went for some Takoyaki (squid balls) and Ann protested with: “Tony, again?” much to Mom’s amusement.

I got the last laugh though; when the girls ate a ball as the same time and proceeded to burn their mouths, despite watching me burn mine and laughing at my expense mere moments earlier. I got pictures to commemorate the occasion; all in good fun. Another snack I got mom to try was Taiyaki. It’s kind of like a fish-shaped donut with different filling, in this case, custard cream.

It was a full day out, and it was topped off with more of that board game, for which mom was now completely hooked to. This time Noriko won I believe. We played one game to relax after all the walking, and later went out for a nice big bowl of ramen. Through the window we could see the chef preparing his broth and it was very interesting. For example, he sliced big cuts of apples to have its flavour boiled out among other things. Once we got back to the hotel, we played another game and went to bed.

Now it was May 1^st and we found another affordable breakfast place to start the day. The owner there was an older, grumpy looking lady working the till, who barked orders at the fearful young waitress who were running back and forth to appease her. Mom was in awe, so she took my camera to snap a picture; much like she had done that morning to capture another girl’s high-heeled shoes that were shaped like hearts <3

We talked about things to do, and a day trip to Osaka came up. I went over things to do there, like Universal Studios, the Zoo, and a world-class aquarium, but the girls overruled all that with “shopping”. In a half panic, I foolishly asked: “You can’t shop all day though, can you?” perhaps hoping we could do something more or different; something I didn’t find so mundane. Their answer to me was tear-filled laughter.

Since I’m out of my league on this issue, I’m not one to comment really. One thing girls can do is ‘shop’ for hours on end, when usually they do little more than gawk at all the things in stores (maybe?) A couple times I went and found a chair while the girls attempted to saturate their shopping appetite. By looking at stuff, trying it on, laughing at the ridiculous prices on some items and getting opinions on others. Let the girls play though right? The malls were ridiculously busy because of the holiday.

Once again, I was very grateful Ann was there to bail me out, as on Mom’s last trip when she wanted advice from me, I could hardly sum up the energy to throw out an opinion on the item in question. “I don’t know, whatever you like” is my default answer as I look for the exit. Ann stepped up and gave solid advice, and is a very savvy shopper; telling stories of Thailand and the bountiful shopping to be had there, allowing me to slip out and find somewhere to sit down. They really didn't buy too much though, it was more for the experience and girl bonding I'd think.

My shopping experience wasn’t all bad however. During one of the hours while the girls mulled over wallets (or maybe it wasn’t an hour and just felt that way) I happened to stumble by and start looking myself. In about 10 minutes, Ann found a wonderful wallet for me at a very reasonable price. My current wallet was a gift from my last girlfriend many a years ago, and had holes in it already despite being made of leather.

It had a change purse (seemingly rare for some reason), and room for various cards. I was a bit reserved on the bold red colour at first, but it grew on me very fast. It’s a “Michel Klein” as if that meant anything to me, but mom assured me it’s a “good brand”. I was half expecting to tenderly throw out my old, faithful companion, that had been with me every day for many years and visited many countries, holding their diverse flavour of colourful monies for me; but before I could, mom chucked it into a small trash can near the escalator.

It was a bit of a shock, but it was weird to be attached to a piece of leather like that in the first place. That being said, I absolutely love the new one, as it came to life as I moved my items into it. I guess that made it a good day of shopping, as the girls seemed satisfied too. I convinced us to take a breather at a sushi train restaurant, which unfortunately was mom’s only stop at one this trip (she only had one plate too). Ah well, she had her fill of raw fish I guess.

We didn’t eat too much, as after getting back and another game, we had our last meal together with Noriko; rice omelets. We got the idea from watching them make the pretty dishes through a window in a mall earlier. After lightly cooking a thin layer of eggs, fried rice is placed in the middle, so the chef can gently toss and fold the package up together in a pleasant yellow shell of egg.

We watched them in a mall where we were able to properly culture shock mom, and to a lesser extent Ann, as she is still fairly new. A package of 9 strawberries for example was $8; almost a dollar each. One melon was over $30, and things like kiwis, oranges, apples and grapefruit are over a dollar each. This is just an example of the difficulties of buying fresh produce in Japan.

On the 2^nd we needed to check out, and since it was golden week hotels everywhere were sold out. My ‘great planning’ for the trip had a 2 day window of uncertainty, but after an hour of searching online, was able to find a so-so place to hole up in Nagoya; or next destination. We would have liked to stay longer at the Kyoto place, as it really was fabulous, but time flies as they say. We checked out, checked to leave our car until later, and took one last trip to Osaka to see its zoo, as Mom wasn’t feeling the aquarium.

I took maybe a hundred photos, but how much can I say about a zoo? There were animals. Many were cool, and many were in small cages it seemed. I got to see a polar bear, a giraffe, and some other new ones like different forms of tigers. The zoo was very, very busy, and not really that big. I said to myself “this place is a zoo” before stopping myself at the obvious irony; and wondering who the real animals were, with all the crowding around tiny windows and the like people were doing.

In short, it was fun! I was, as I always am, surprised with Ann, as it was her first time seeing some things like sheep. We stayed for hours, but got tired and it was time to leave. We went to the bathroom before the long train ride back, and mom accidentally pushed an alarm button instead of triggering an automatic hand blower. Her and Ann cleared out quickly at this folly, and told me through barely muffled laughter to ‘keep walking and don’t look back’

It was a good drive to Nagoya; we found the place without hardly and troubles and settled right in. Compared to the last place, it was an obvious dive, and the irony is it practically cost the same. Beggars can’t be choosers I guess, as I shouldn’t have waited so long to book in the first place.

I think we were out of ‘Kansai’ now, roughly defined as ‘Western Japan’ even though I consider it to be somewhat central what with Hiroshima and other stuff further away. It’s a reference largely to the Osaka/Kyoto area as I’m to believe. Hopefully I can give you more updates before too long; I’m still busy but atleast I don’t feel like I’m drowning like last week.

"One of the few things that can't be recycled is wasted time." -Sean Covey

tnoy

Flexible Plans Save the Day

Well, mom came and left very successfully. Friends were made, places were seen, and lots of fun was had. I only got back late Sunday, spent hours sorting the hundreds of photos and videos, almost got sick (again) from exhaustion, but now can post.

I last left off 2 weeks ago Monday, before things got really crazy. I touched up my blog, finished and prepared all the stuff I needed to get done at work, and went home to take my mom out for lunch. Because of the tight schedule, we only had this lunch free, and the one Tuesday. One of these two days Ann was going to cook Thai food for us, but she needed to get ingredients first so that idea was pushed to Wednesday.

I took Mom to Café Doodoo, where she met Hiroko for the first time. I thought they had met during her last trip, but I was mistaken. It’s a good thing it worked out like that, as mom had many presents she needed to buy and Hiroko had lots of advice, and free time to spend with her on Wednesday. I went to the office and got more work done, while she had a chance to shop with Ann for ingredients for Wednesday. That night we went to an Enkai (work party) thrown by my base school.

It was half a welcome party for the 3 new teachers, and welcome for Mom and Ann. Mom came in earlier to everyone’s pleasure as some of the teachers from her last visit 2 years ago still carried fond memories of their last time together. Mom felt better prepared this time to give out little gifts from Canada; from the little Canada pins, to some maple syrup, to hand-made dish towels with chocolate.

This was the second night in a row that we had raw fish, so mom quickly hit her limit. There were other varieties like pickled fish and sushi, but it was a bit too much too fast, so the rest of the trip didn’t include of that element. One of the new teachers spent 3 years in Sri Lanka founding a national baseball team, so Mom scouted him as a future husband for my sister Patty. Too bad for him though, I think she might be involved now.

We weren’t out late, as Tuesday was an early morning and a busy day at Tatsuno. I was worried about my 3^rd year students, as presently they’re the worst class I’ve had to teach since coming here, but I was thrilled they were respectful to mom, and listened to her story. Later they even make questions. Mom is a natural in front of the class, and it was cut short to Ann’s relief by a health exam the students have in Japan, saving her from talking about Thailand. It’s not easy getting up in front of strangers and talking if you have no experience.

It was a cold day, so the girls huddled around a heater, looked in fashion magazines, traded hand moisturizer and talked about stuff like that. Despite any language barrier, this will always be a common language among girls. Those two got along as if Ann was a long-lost daughter, so it was a bit eerie at first, but really it saved me from shopping in the long run.

After a couple more classes, games, meeting teachers and other fun, we were invited to watch the band perform. They did two numbers and had some professional there to critique, so it wasn’t on the scale of mom’s last visit, but still nice. We got in my car and started driving North to Matsumoto, as this was the only chance we had to see Neal.

Along the way I showed mom the ‘crazy’ Bull Dog store of strange items, where she found some more presents to her delight, including an alarm clock that screamed like a chicken. It was a good reunion, for Ann and I too, as we haven’t seen him in over a month.

After chats and gift exchanges, Neal treated us to an East Indian Restaurant that had live music, and we all really enjoyed it. It was even more so for mom, as she has never had that caliber of this brand of ethnic food. I feel for her too, so much is lost at a buffet line as I think I’ve experienced in Regina before, sometime in the past.

We got a 4-person course, and were full from the appetizers, so when the main course of Nan and Curry came by, we were struggling. I had some cheese and honey Nan (bread?) that was so amazing, that I was an idiot by trying to finish my meal. I simply ate too much and was in a bit of pain. The ride home was over an hour long, and Ann had to help me out by talking with me to keep me from getting too drowsy.

Wednesday was the last day of work for a long time, and I only had one class. Mom and Ann worked on lunch while I went to work for a half day, getting all I needed done for the holiday. I came home for lunch and Hiroko joined us. Ann whipped up yet another amazing Thai feast: salad, soup, curries and fried rice; all practically made from scratch. She even had a separate batch for my mom that wasn’t very spicy, although I think mom was starting to ‘warm up’ to a little spice in her food. (pun intended?)

After eating the girls went out shopping. Hiroko was busy in the evening, so we kept it local and not in Matsumoto as originally planned; Neal was busy anyways. The girls had fun doing their thing, and we stumbled upon a pet shop, where we could see cats and/or dogs with a price tag worth over three thousand dollars. Ann always laughed when we saw a shop after that: “come to Thailand, you can get them for free!”

After a fulfilling afternoon we went North again, but this time to Okaya. I had chatted with Mervin a couple days earlier saying how my mom was coming, and he suggested a small welcoming potluck party at his place; something simple right? Mom praised me for having a schedule for her, although I felt it to be slapstick, improvised and flexible, but what more do you need right? Try and do too much, and it won’t be as fun.

Maybe I’ve taken for granted what nice people I’ve come to known, as mom kept talking about what an amazing party Mervin threw. There were about 15 to 20 people and everyone brought a little something to munch on, including mom, who brought some of her poppy seed bread from Cananda. Other highlights were Ann’s spring rolls and peanut sauce that were a huge hit, flowers from Lauren, and Aiko’s huge welcome cake. (yes, we're eating that cake with chopsticks)

We all visited until 11 or so and I was getting tired, but someone suggested Karaoke and it was another “there won’t be a second chance” experience being offered. Apparently this was Mom’s first try at Karaoke, and we even got Ann to sing a song or two (one was Jingle Bells). After an hour and many people losing their voices, we were exhausted and parted ways; we partially planned to wake up early for Kyoto the next day.

But as fate would have it, I was sick in the morning; just pushing myself too hard maybe. It was a slow start then, but it all worked out, as mom wanted me to fill a suitcase of things to take home for when I move out. I really don’t think I have much to take home, but in no time that one suitcase was full and at the weight limit. It was small things I’ve bought from various countries over the years, and some video games.

Still, to have started moving out makes the upcoming July that much more real. I literally only have maybe 8 ‘free’ weekends left before going home, minus things like school festival and other stuff. There is a small list of things I want to do before I go, as who knows if I’ll ever be back to Japan. There are so many places to see and so many things to do, and I feel like I’ve mostly had my fill now. It was an amazing 3 years, but time to move on.

So anyways, after that was packed, we got in the car and drove to Kyoto in an amazing 3 hours. The bus takes 5 to 6 hours; it’s almost as if we were driving normally in Canada to make that kind of time. Noriko had found a wonderful hotel for us, right next to the station, and we found it fairly easily. We settled in, and went to the station to meet her as she got off work. For those who don’t remember, Noriko had a home stay in Canada some years ago, and mom is friends with her host parents.

We met up, went for food where I had delicious, but messy, curry udon, and since I was sick we were taking it easy that night. We went back to the hotel and I taught mom how to play “The Settlers of Catan”, which turned out to be the first of many times for us to play, as mom really got into it.

She won that first time playing, as beginner’s luck strikes again. My theory on that is since you’re new to the game, everyone helps you out to understand the game, and invertible gives them a huge advantage in that sense. (ie: no don’t put your road there, this is better. Or: save those cards and buy this instead)

I was hoping I could write more, and/or make it more entertaining, but alas, I’m super busy and will have to leave it like this until next week maybe. I'm mostly happy I got even this much done; so much happened, and so much is happening even now.

Look forward to our continuing adventure next week ^_^

"Life is not a problem to be solved, nor a question to be answered. Life is a mystery to be experienced." -Alan Watts

tnoy